Libyan Military Called Wimpy

WASHINGTON — Seasick sailors and pilots afraid of getting lost in the dark are the stuff the Libyan navy and air force are made of, U.S. intelligence shows.

In a report in Thursday`s Washington Post, Pentagon officials said Moammar Khadafy`s navy is all at sea with orders to stay there, out of fear U.S. planes might bomb his fleet in port. Khadafy also has ordered his air force aloft at night to escape being bombed on its runways, the officials said.

But Khadafy`s ships are breaking down or running out of fuel, leaving them lying dead in the Mediterranean`s waves, and the choppy waters are making their crews seasick, U.S. officials told the Post.

Pilots of the Libyan strongman, whom President Reagan blames for backing much of the world`s terrorism, aren`t used to flying at night; so they fly their French- or Soviet-made planes in circles around lighted airfields out of fear of getting lost, the Pentagon said.

The information comes from day-to-day reports on Libyan forces by the vast U.S. intelligence network blanketing the region, including electronic eavesdropping equipment operated by the National Security Agency.

Libya`s largely coastal navy is not accustomed to staying out at sea for any length of time, and its skippers have pleaded with Khadafy for permission to return to port. He has refused.